On Saturday, the Khalifa International Stadium will host the first match of the Round of 16 of the World Cup 2022, featuring the Netherlands and the United States. Here, check out what would happen if the Stars and Stripes lose this matchup.
The USMNT advanced from Group B with some difficulty, but will face Group A winners the Netherlands in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. Although they will be facing European powerhouses with World Cup experience, it is still a favorable fixture given that they have avoided such heavy hitters as Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France and others.
The Dutch continued their remarkable run to the round of 16 at every World Cup since 1934, finishing first in Group A. They have now reached this stage of the tournament at every World Cup since 1934, with the exception of 1990 and 2006. The Oranje were in the group stage also undefeated but looked weak at times. This was especially true against Ecuador, who pressed them so hard that they were lucky to escape with a point.
Although a strong win against Iran in a high-stakes, winner-takes-all clash showed Gregg Berhalter’s men can perform under a lot of pressure. It’s a competitive match, although the bookies have the Netherlands as favourites; both teams have a good chance to advance to the quarterfinals.
What would happen if the USMNT lose to the Netherlands in the Qatar 2022 Round of 16?
Quite simply, if the United States national soccer team suffer a defeat, they would be knocked out of the tournament in the last 16. For the World Cup, the Knockout Round consists of one-game playoffs.
Therefore, there is no opportunity to win the series by taking game two. There is no room for a mistake in this win-or-go-home approach. In order to go through to the Quarter-Finals, the USMNT must win, either in regular time, after extra time, or on penalties.
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